Mediterranean: monk seals, dolphins under threat

Mediterranean monk seals and sea turtles are under threat of extinction, according to a report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released in Malaga today following the protocol of the Barcelona Convention for the protection of the Mediterranean. Of the 87 cetacean species in the world, 21 species and 3 subspecies have been seen transiting or live in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, but for the first time, these are at higher risk of extinction than anywhere else in the world, according to the IUCN report. Of 9 species of sea mammals surveyed, 6 are vulnerable or in outright danger of extinction. Among these are the monk seal, the common dolphin, and a small whale, the physeter macrocephalus. ''We hope this report will increase overall consciousness of the threats against these animals and on the measures that need to be taken for their conservation,'' IUCN Red List Unit Director Craig Hilton Taylor told reporters.